Reading with Style discussion

Okay, here is the place for you to give me suggestions for books to read from around the world, (more specifically based on author nationality).

I am making a map, which I will share, maybe at the end of every month, to see how I am going. I would like to think I can hit up 50 countries in a year!

It looks like you've created a new challenge for yourself.

These are some international titles I have listed for myself for this Winter season, or authors I'm reading again, so titles that I've enjoyed.

Spain: The Fencing Master by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

France: Signed, Picpus by Georges Simenon NOTE: this is a series that doesn't need to be read in order and they are all very short

Italy: The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara

Malaysia: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

Mexico: The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia NOTE: I have not read this author, but the avg rating for this book is 4.23!

Here are some of my 5 and 4 star reads:

The White Darkness by David Grann - Antarctica

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
Peru

Shame and the Captives by Thomas Keneally - Austrailia

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras - Columbia

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "It looks like you've created a new challenge for yourself.

These are some international titles I have listed for myself for this Winter season, or authors I'm reading again, so titles that I've en..."

Thanks, I will check out now!

My starting point will be the books on the 1001 list, kill 2 birds with one stone, and the books I have on my personal bookshelves, and definitely looking at the crossovers there.

The hard ones will be Africa, although they are a lot easier to get hold of these days than previously, and Oceania.

Joanne wrote: "Here are some of my 5 and 4 star reads:

The White Darkness by David Grann - Antarctica

[book:Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a..."

Thank you! Will check out!

Okay, this is a personal challenge, which I am sharing, just wondering if people would like me to share reviews here? Just a thought, because I really want to encourage reading globally. I think that food and books are one of the best ways we can experience and understand other cultures, and I am happy to share the experience.

(I do eat and cook quite global as well. On our agenda is a Mauritian restaurant we recently read about. And we are DYING to get back to some French food!)

Mauritius: The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah. I gave this only 3 stars, but I've remembered it. Perhaps I was feeling stingy the day I rated it.

I liked it better than you Elizabeth, I gave it 4 stars

Nigeria: The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Despite it's title, this is not really a mystery. I think the author would fit 20.5 this season.

Algeria: The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra. I have this on my wishlist, so cannot *exactly* recommend it, but fits for Africa. I have read his Morituri. I was expecting a mystery, but I think it doesn't exactly fit that genre.

Zambia: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. This is another on my wishlist and have not read, but it has won/nominate for numerous awards.

Kenya: Dance of the Jakaranda by Peter Kimani. I actually have this on my kindle and keep meaning to get to it. I think I picked this up when we had the Asia/Africa sub-challenge a couple of years ago.

Sierra Leone: I don't know if you'll think she fits, but I heartily recommend Aminatta Forna. She was born in the UK, but her father was of Sierra Leone and she writes with the POV of someone of that culture. I have read her Happiness (5 stars), which is set in the UK, but hope to get to her The Memory of Love which is set in Sierra Leone. Maybe this season? We'll see, I have a long list of titles.

Apple wrote: "Okay, this is a personal challenge, which I am sharing, just wondering if people would like me to share reviews here? Just a thought, because I really want to encourage reading globally. I think th..."

I would love to see your reviews Apple! I am doing 2 challenges in 2025 that involve traveling the world (go figure-2 different groups! Must be a "thing" this year!). So I will be searching everywhere for books. Neither challenge is straightforward, one involves following a randomly spun compass.

Ghana: Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd

I didn't post this earlier because I thought this author was European and the book is set in Africa. I loved this book 5-stars worth.

If I understand your project correctly, you're more interested in the nativity of the author than the setting. Still, you could use the below for either of two countries. The author and family escaped Libya and emigrated to Venezuela.

Libya (for author birth); Venezuela (for setting): Two Spies in Caracas by Moisés Naím

I really enjoy Claudia Piñeiro. I'm finally caught up posting for all of my challenges, so I'll look some more.

Sri Lanka: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Thanks everyone, I am checking briefly here and there but have been tied up rearranging my room to make it a more organised and goal friendly space.

I have a map of the world waiting to be coloured in once I start reading.

Well, it has taken me awhile, but I finally finished a book!

One of my ongoing projects is the 1001 list, which I will take much inspiration from when seeking world literature, and my other pet focus is reading women.

I have been able to start this project with The Twins by Tessa de Loo, who is a Dutch author.

Full disclosure, I listened to the audiobook, but I think this is well enough paced, even though the two lead characters are twins of 74, that it would be an easy and pleasurable read. And whilst the telling of the tale is the recent past (it's the 1990's, which is in my lifetime, so recent past :P), the story is takes place mostly in the 1930's until the end of World War II.

Lotte and Anna are twin German girls who are separated once they are orphaned, Lotte being sent to the Netherlands side of the family as she has shown signs of tuberculosis and the situation for her to recover would be better there, whilst Anna is sent to the paternal family country farm.

When the paths diverge, so does every detail of their upbringing and life, and it is in this chance meeting at a spa resort that they are reunited (not for the first time) and tell each other their story, with the hope (on one side only it would appear) for reconciliation.

Once you get passed the minuscule probability of this chance meeting occurring, this is a good story. Whilst not quite both sides of the battle lines, you do get a very good sense of what different lives and situations were like on different sides of the border during the War.

The characters are well developed, and thoroughly detailed, Both are portrayed in such a way that you are understanding and sympathetic to both sides, and see them both for their faults also.

Do I think it is worthy of 1001 ranking? Perhaps not, but it is not the worst read I have had from this list, and I would recommend this to someone if asked.

Looks like I am getting a move on with finishing books now!

Interestingly, when it comes to the US (and Canada) on my map all of the States (or Provinces) are listed, so this may be a sub challenge within the overall, because I can't spend a year reading only one book from the US with the sheer volume of books published from there!

Which brings me to my next completed book, Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, from Massachusetts in the USA.

I have been trying to get to this book for the last 3 seasons, so I made sure I read it this time, just to get that monkey off my back.

I had picked up a copy a while ago now, but I honestly can't remember what I read about it to make me want to read it, and I am 100% sure I think I had it confused with another book ...

This is almost stream of consciousness (but with chapters, paragraphs, and punctuation), about becoming a mother and marriage. I think with the motherhood parts, we can all understand the feelings of love and frustration of being a parent, particularly a mother, whose bond is always a little bit more. And being almost stream of consciousness, the broken thoughts, we start here, jump there and go back the original thought again. it reads very much like being in someone's head.

Which I think makes the portrayal a little more honest. When the husband says to the wife (I don't remember anyone, except a student, Lia, having a name), "She's easier." , you can kind of accept that remark, having been in her head. She seems like she may not be the easiest person to live with.

This was an easy and pleasurable read, and quite short at 180 pages. I would definitely consider reading more of Offill's work.

And because I stayed home from work today, as I woke up dizzy and with a pain in my head (not a headache, a very different feeling), I managed to get a second book (audiobook this time) finished.

I have been enjoying Nordic Noir for awhile now, and thought I would test out a new author from a new country, which lead me to Ragnar Jónasson's The Darkness.

I don't know why this one didn't quite click for me. Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is of an age where she is about to retire, in fact, she is being forced to retire early, and you get the sense, perhaps mostly from her own way of thinking, that she isn't well liked or respected being a woman in what is essentially a boy's club environment.

There are different timelines, and it is hard to see where the earlier timeline might be going for awhile, and there is a later twist which reveals the reason why Hulda seems to be so isolated and alone, as well as lonely.

There is also an event that I found hard to place. It appeared to me that it was happening after Hulda's retirement, but with the events which occur at the climax of the story, and with the epilogue, that can't be right, so I am not even sure how they fit at all.

I honestly can't work out how there is a series after this, not with how this one ended, and I am not really sure I can be concerned with finding out, when I have read other series in this genre that I would prefer to spend my time finishing.

Here is my map that I have just created, and I am adding my reviews there as well!

toppitope.travelmap.net

I see you have Embers by Sándor Márai on your shelves. He is Hungarian. That book is on the 1001 shelves and I gave it 5 stars. Just in case you might want an alternate for something this summer.

I forgot all about this thread Elizabeth, thanks for posting.

Where in the world have you been, are you, or going to? I tried to check your travel map, but it says it no longer exists.

I have had a few issues making reading difficult, so this has been on the slide. I didn’t know that site had lapsed. Will have a look when I finish work, thanks.

Joanne wrote: "I forgot all about this thread Elizabeth, thanks for posting.

Where in the world have you been, are you, or going to? I tried to check your travel map, but it says it no longer exists."

The link works for me - I can see three books on there.

I also gave 5 stars to Embers !

I am going to make a quick list to update where I am at, and I am hoping the next season will get me a lot closer to my goal (check out my planning!).

I will hopefully be able to face screens after the work day, as we seem to have sorted out my meds enough that my headaches are being held at bay better, so I will try to be better at updating and reviewing going forward, and updating my map.

Not all of the books have been read for RWS.

The Twins by Tessa de Loo Netherlands, Europe
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill USA, North America
The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson Iceland/Europe
Snow Fall by Jørn Lier Horst Norway/Europe
The Woman from Uruguay by Pedro Mairal Argetina/South America
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán Chile/South America
The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell England/Europe
We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida Japan/Asia
Eyrie by Tim Winton Australia/Oceania
White Nights by Urszula Honek Poland/Europe
The Seamstress of Sardinia by Bianca Pitzorno Italy/Europe
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova Mexico/North America
Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou Congo/Africa

I have doubled up on a few countries, but I won't post all of those.

Oh, I missed :

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Ireland/Europe
Gliff by Ali Smith Scotland/Europe

Here we go, I finished yesterday Streetwise by Morroccan writer Mohamed Choukri, the middle book in the autobiographical trilogy.

Choukri was born to a poor family, with an abusive father, so he leaves and lives on the streets amongst prostitutes and petty criminals, drinking and smoking kif.

At 20 he decides to learn to read and write, studying amongst younger boys, and discovering a love of poetry and literature.

It is a dark world, which appears to have little chance of escape from, even once he becomes a teacher, and yet it is filled with characters, and everyone supports everyone when they have a little bit more.

To begin with, it seems that the text follows a linear timeline, so is easy to follow, but later things seem to move back and forth, and become episodic, which becomes a little frustrating as one tries to work out where and when we are in his lifetime.

Whilst I didn't really love this, I am interested enough to have a look at the two books either side, if I can find them (this was a chance pick up at a secondhand book store).

I have to be honest, I don't think that I really engaged too much with Silken Gazelles by Omani writer Jokha Alharthi, and I would not say that the synopsis is a very clear indication of the story at all.

The narrative shifts between Ghazaala and Harir, and half the time it would take me awhile to work out whose story I was listening to. And, whilst it is mentioned that this is a close friendship, it is very one sided, as I don't think Ghazaala every thinks too deeply about it herself, only what support she can gain from Harir.

It does deal with the role of women in modern society, married, divorced, mothers and daughters, as well as friends and employees, and the demands these make and how we and society shape ourselves in relation to all of these.

Oh, I am still listening to the introduction for Madonna in a Fur Coat by Turkish writer Sabahattin Ali whilst typing this, and it is adding perspectives I had not considered, but definitely makes the story more interesting to consider.

An obsessive love, told through the notebook of a dying man, a man who has not lived and not lived a life of love. It is not an unrequited love, but it is in many ways unfulfilled, and yet it is the most defining love.

A novel on the nature of love, the role and nature of men and women, of a life of equals, and equality of mind.

It is also the novel of a friendship, as the narrator has befriended Raif Bey at the end of his life, and it is through his love for his dying friend, who he has never really come to know, that we are given the gift of this, apparently somewhat autobiographical, story.

Thanks for sharing all this Apple! It is great to be able to follow along! I am trying to read out of my box and hoping to find something I would enjoy.

I decided to read A Winter Book by Tove Jansson because I had already read The Summer Book, and thought it would make a good book end.

There is less of a flow in these, the earlier collection was one Summer with a grandmother and the granddaughter, this was more autobiographical, with Tove as a child, but never named as Tove. They capture the innocence and freedom that you get a sense of having been the case for Tone (having read some other background material).

It also included stories from Travelling Light, but I could only remember Letters from Klara. These were possibly more enjoyable than the other stories featured.

Nice enough, and a short read.

June is now officially the most travelled month so far, and it isn't finished yet!

Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón is a story of orphans, abandonded and found dogs, actual and found families, and people who are not all that they seem. It is also a love song to movies, particularly The Godfather, to a Venezuela that could be.

I do not know much about the history or political climate of Venezuela, but I imagine, and can surmise, that it is similar to many South American countries, dictatorships, military coups, poverty and an unstable economy.

This is the background to Ulises divorce, complicated by the fact that his father-in-law has died and made him, and two strangers who rescue dogs, the beneficiaries of his will, but on the condition that the turn his former home into a dog rescue within a certain time frame.

A scheming wife, an unreliable and perhaps not so honest lawyer, a lover who may not be what she seems, and a couple of very old brothers who have worked in service, and know all the secrets, make for an interesting and somewhat, ultimately , uplifting tale.

I think I have read too many of the cozy magic realism books from Asia that are going to solve all the problems of the characters within. Marigold Mind Laundry by Yun Jung-eun is much the same as all the others, so if you liked We'll Prescribe You a Cat or The Lantern of Lost Memories you will like this, otherwise, give this one a miss.

Whilst Held by Anne Michaels is written by a Canadian author, it is not set at any point in that country.

It starts with a wounded British soldier on the French battlefields of World War I, remembering his love who is waiting for him back home.

We follow him home, and from there we follow his wife, and then his daughter, and then his granddaughter, and then for some reason we move to a couple in war torn Sarajevo, then back in time to Marie Curie.

I thought I understood when we were following just the one lineage, that this was a story about love, and what we will do for love, and how we embrace it, and whilst this is true for the other stories, I am still not certain why we made that departure and followed those characters.

I was very much looking forward to this as I had loved Fugitive Pieces, but I really didn't enjoy this as much.

Apple wrote: "Whilst Held by Anne Michaels is written by a Canadian author, it is not set at any point in that country.

It starts with a wounded British soldier on the French ..."

Thank you for this. I have a thirst for all things WWI.

Gosh, South American texts are hard, particularly those by women, it would seem.

The first was The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Argentine Mariana Enríquez, a collection of short stories. This was the second collection of hers that I have read, and they are all bleak, with aspects of horror. The longest story, Kids Who Come Back seemed familiar, at least, the premise of the story did, but this was harder and grittier. It tells the story of homeless kids, runaways, streetworkers, trafficked. All of a sudden, the kids start to return, including the dead ones.

And that is the tone that tells you all you need to know about her work.

The other was The Simple Art of Killing a Woman by Brazilian writer Patrícia Melo, where our protagonist is a lawyer investigating the deaths of countless women, including her own mother. Women are raped, abused, tortured and killed and such an incredible rate, and it is a hard read because you know that it many South American countries this isn't a fiction. A harrowing but important read.

That second book you mentioned sounds interesting. I do not mind heavy violence, as long as there is a reason for it. It sounds like it is a necessary part of the story (I read the GR's blurb on it). I do need to be in the right frame of mind, though, to read a book like this.

Joanne wrote: "That second book you mentioned sounds interesting. I do not mind heavy violence, as long as there is a reason for it. It sounds like it is a necessary part of the story (I read the GR's blurb on it..."

It was a good book, definitely worth reading, but you have to be prepared for the descriptions of the torture and murder.

Notes of a Crocodile by Taiwanese author Qiu Miaojin is a coming of age story, following the story of Lazi through their years at college, the friendships and loves, and their coming to understanding theirselves.

It's a complex web of love and friendship, most characters are at least bisexual, or experimenting, many queer but trying to find their place in the world.

Lazi is somewhat self destructive in their relationships and lifepath, and must come to terms with who they are, and their desires, to fully accept themselves and survive.

This is not a happy novel, although their are moments of tenderness that are quite lovely, but I feel that being queer at this time in Taiwan would not have been easy (less so than in other places), and this is reflected in the instability of the characters. And yet, at the same time, there are a lot of queer characters, and they don't seem to be closeted, so maybe it is merely the disjointed experience of self and societal expectation.

Ratih Kumala's Cigarette Girl is a multigenerational story, spanning pre independence until somewhat current day of two cigarette making families in Indonesia, their crossed paths, loves and rivalries.

The story is interwoven between that of the past of Idroes Moeria and his rival, in work, love and then business, Soedjagad. Both fall in love with the scribe's daughter, Roemaisia, but obviously only one man can win the beauty's hand, and to do so he must learn to read and write.

A constant battle exists between the two men, and it comes to pass that the placenta of Idroes and Roemaisia's daughter is stolen, and his downfall will come through her, at the hand of the enemy that that stole it.

Jeng Yah follows in her father's footsteps and is talented in the ways of the cigarette, and comes to have her own brand. And it is this Jeng Mah who's name is repeatedly exclaimed by the current day Pak Raja who is dying, which sets his three sons, Tegar, Karim and Lebas on a bonding trip across the country to try and find her, and the story behind their father's relationship with her.

This is actually a really enjoyable tale, and the women presented are generally strong minded, intelligent and independent, which was a real pleasure to read.

This appealed to me and !JOY! I was able to find a copy (the only copy in the Michigan Inter-Library System!). I ordered it, and will let you know how I do with it

Why would someone want a placenta and who cares who takes what gets thrown away anyway?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Why would someone want a placenta and who cares who takes what gets thrown away anyway?"

Cultural superstitions! It wasn't thrown away, it had to be protected for 7 nights, but, obviously, things happen!

Joanne wrote: "This appealed to me and !JOY! I was able to find a copy (the only copy in the Michigan Inter-Library System!). I ordered it, and will let you know how I do with it"

Nice!

Road No Good is the story of early childhood educator Bridget Isichei's two years working as a volunteer in Vanuatu, helping to develop pre school programs and training the teachers who work at the pre schools.

In Vanuatu, the hierachy is men, pigs, women then children, and when it comes to women, the pre school teachers are well down on the list because they are not doing their duty by looking after the pigs, the garden and the family.

Mostly, these teachers are also illiterate themselves, and they speak Bismala, a pidgin English, rather than English. And yet they are stronger , more determined and loyal than any people Bridget has met before, and what at first seems to have been a bad idea becomes a life changing experience.

It is an incredibly uplifting story, as Bridget helps these women study for an Early Childhood certification, raising their self esteem and their position in society, and the ramifications could see big societal changes in Vanuatu long term.

Yes, I know it is hard to believe that I had not read The Diary of a Young Girl, and when I opened it I really thought I might be wrong and had simply forgotten, but no, I really had not read this. (Trust me, the list of films that I have not seen upsets my husband far more than the list of books I haven't read will upset anyone here!)

What I was surprised at was Anne's humour and mischief, as well as her openness about all sorts of subjects - her relationships with others, her discussions of sex - it was all so unexpected.

Yes, their situation was bleak, and it is completely understandable that everyone would get on everyone else's nerves, but there was still generosity and celebration, and the fact that they managed to survive, with as much quality of life as was possible, was amazing. They didn't give up, but kept striving with things like learning, regardless of how bad things appeared to getting outside of their annexe. I don't know that many under such circumstances could have said the same.

As I was reading This Mournable Body, I kept thinking it reminded me of something else I had read, then realised it was probably the first book in this series by Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, which I read a very long time ago now.

Somehow I have missed the middle book of the trilogy, and now Tambu is a grown woman, unemployed after quitting her job at the advertising agency, and to be honest, she is not very likeablle. She is superior, scheming and dishonest. Some of this is due to race and the inequality that she feels because of it, some of it is undoubtedly due to being a woman as the lot of a woman is no better in Africa than it is in South America, and some of it will be due to the weight of expectation from her village and the education that has been allowed.

Their are many cracks in Tambu as a person, and her mental health, and this journey sees those cracks widen until they break, and then the need for Tambu rebuild herself again, but not in the image she has for herself.

Not a pleasurable read, but an honest one.

Last of my finished books for now is a collection of short stories smuggled out of North Korea, written by an author known as Bandi.

The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea has multiple stories about the hardships of life in North Korea, mostly under the regime of Kim Il-sung. There are no happy stories here, there is hunger, their is the paranoia of knowing everyone is watching everyone else, and any act of dissent could see you imprisoned, exiled or killed. Not only that, but the taint of one generation carries on to the next and the next, and this is often part of the tales presented here also.

Whilst this is not filled with the violence of the South American books above, it is still a hard read, because you know how much of it is a reality that the peoples of North Korea cannot escape. Even those who believed in the Party have seen their dreams squashed, and their souls are suffering.

Worth it if you can find it.